Cornell

So… no updates in a while. Bad me!

First, the practical stuff: I’m at Cornell, at the School of Information. I’m going to classes: Human Computer Interaction Design (a class on creating user interfaces – veery fun! I might be doing a project on World of Warcraft), Computational Psychology (required for my Graduate Minor in Cognitive Science… see below), and a seminar on the spread of information in networks. I’ve actually gone to only one of those classes so far, because the networks seminar hasn’t met and because it was only on Monday *after* Comp Psych that I had a meeting with the professor and realized the class was worth taking and not, in fact, a repeat of classes I’d taken at Yale.

In the grand scheme of things, I have to take seven required classes for Information Science proper, plus three or four for my Graduate Minor. Getting a Graduate Minor is a requirement for all grad students at Cornell, but it’s usually a relatively fun and stress-free experience. Cognitive Science gave me a laptop to minor in the field. Ok… I’ll take it!:)

Now, as to the more ephemeral – it’s been a week and a half since I got to Ithaca. The city was all sunshine and happiness when I got here, but receded into gloomy rain about three days in, and has stayed that way since. The constant pitter-patter against my apartment windows is actually quite relaxing. The sound of trucks and loud stereos is not, but I’m way too used to that since my New Haven days. Or maybe since St. Petersburg… as a kid, I grew up next to a tram stop, and the street was constantly filled with grinding, clanging noises of iron on iron as trams came and went. But I digress.

Speaking of the apartment, it’s a pretty cool place. Definitely big enough for me, probably too small for two people – a nice-sized bedroom, a bathroom, plus a living room/kitchen stuck together. I’ve also been able to get (spotty) wireless here, which makes me happy. Wired internet is not getting installed until the 14th, but I can live with that. For now.

I’ll post more later on my life here, significant projects, etc. For now, all is well.

Vlad